The Soothsayer
Studio album by
Wayne Shorter
Released1979;
1990 (CD)
RecordedMarch 4, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenrePost-bop
Length50:21
LabelBlue Note
LT 988;
CDP 7 84443 2
ProducerAlfred Lion
Wayne Shorter chronology
Speak No Evil
(1965) 		The Soothsayer
(1979) 		Et Cetera
(1965)

The Soothsayer is the seventh album by Wayne Shorter, recorded in 1965, but not released on Blue Note until 1979.[1] The album features five originals by Shorter and an arrangement of Jean Sibelius' "Valse Triste". The featured musicians are trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Tom HullB+[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]

Reviewing a 1990 reissue, the Chicago Tribune noted that "the result is hard-driving and as edgy as the time at which it was made."[6] The AllMusic review by Stacia Proefrock stated that "it ranks with the best of his works from this incredibly fertile period".[2]

Track listing

Original release (1979)

All compositions by Wayne Shorter except where noted.
A1. "Lost" – 7:12
A2. "Angola" – 4:48
A3. "The Big Push" – 8:18
B1. "The Soothsayer" – 9:35
B2. "Lady Day" – 5:31
B3. "Valse Triste" (Jean Sibelius) – 7:37

Bonus track on CD reissue (1990)

7. "Angola" [alternate take] – 7:35

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Wayne Shorter discography accessed August 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Proefrock, S. AllMusic Review accessed August 3, 2011.
  3. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 180. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  4. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Wayne Shorter". Tom Hull. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1296. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Fuller, Jack (15 July 1990). "Hard-driving classics from Wayne Shorter". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 20.
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